MEET THE BARON

Baron Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (1730-1794) was a Prussian Revolutionary War-era military leader. He is considered one of the fathers of the Continetal army in teaching the fire points of warcraft, miliitary drills, tactics, and principles. He served as George Washington’s chief of staff in the last years of the war.

In the Park Hill neighborhood of Staten Island, there may be an interesting story to tell about German immigration. Steuben is remembered here on street signs, as well as the German rivers Rhine, Oder, Neckar, Weser, Moselle (Mosel) and Elbe, as well as the city of Hanover. Steuben Street runs in two pieces: a quiet, 2-lane street in Park Hill, and a 6-lane extension of Hylan Boulevard in Grasmere.